It seems extremely unlikely that any Capsicums originated in Africa. I cannot say that with 100% certainty, but there is no evidence to support it at this point.
DNA evidence suggests the divergence points of different species in terms of evolution, leading back to a supposed progenitor species. Bolivia and Brazil seem the most likely sites for that species, but it is not known at present.
I`m not sure if Halbrust wants to know about the evolution of Capsicum as a genus, or the chili as a human edible.
Look here for an article by Paul Bosland,
http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/proceedings1996../V3-479.html
The Historical section is reproduced below,
Capsicum has been known since the beginning of civilization in the Western Hemisphere. It has been a part of the human diet since about 7500 BC
(MacNeish 1964). It was the ancient ancestors of the native peoples who took the wild chile piquin and selected for the many various types known today. Heiser (1976) states that apparently between 5200 and 3400 BC
, the Native Americans were growing chile plants. This places chiles among the oldest cultivated crops of the Americas. As opposed to most domesticated crops, the wild ancestral chiles are not looked upon as worthless or inferior by farming people who cultivate their domestic decedents. The wild Capsicum annuum var. aviculare is harvested and sold in the marketplace along side the larger-fruited domesticated chiles. Capsicum was domesticated at least five times by prehistoric peoples in different parts of South and Middle America. The five domesticated species areC. annuum L., C. baccatum L., C. chinense Jacq., C. frutescens L., and C. pubescens R. & P. (IBPGR 1983).
Chile is historically associated with the voyage of Columbus (Heiser 1976). Columbus is given credit for introducing chile to Europe, and subsequently to Africa and to Asia. On his first voyage, he encountered a plant whose fruit mimicked the pungency of the black pepper,
Piper nigrum L. Columbus called it red pepper because the pods were red. The plant was not the black pepper, but a heretofore unknown plant that was later classified as
Capsicum.
Capsicum is not related to the
Piper genus. In 1493, Peter Martyr (Anghiera 1493) wrote that Columbus brought home "pepper more pungent than that from the Caucasus." Chile spread rapidly across Europe into India, China, and Japan. The new spice, unlike most of the solanums from the Western Hemisphere, was incorporated into the cuisines instantaneously. Probably for the first time, pepper was no longer a luxury spice only the rich could afford. Since its discovery by Columbus, chile has been incorporated into most of the world's cuisines. It has been commercially grown in the United States since at least 1600, when Spanish colonists planted seeds and grew chile using irrigation from the Rio Chama in northern New Mexico (DeWitt and Gerlach 1990).
Capsicum terminology is confusing. Pepper, chili, chile, chilli, aji, paprika, and
Capsicum are used interchangeably for plants in the genus
Capsicum.
Capsicum investigators use chile, pepper, or aji, as vernacular terms.
Capsicum is reserved for taxonomic discussion. The word "chile" is a variation of "chil" derived from the Nahuatl (Aztec) dialect which referred to plants now known as
Capsicum, whereas "aji" is a variation of "axi" from the extinct Arawak dialect of the Caribbean. This brings up the point of the correct way to spell "chile" (Domenici 1983). The "
e" ending in chile is the authentic Hispanic spelling of the word, whereas English linguists have changed the
e to an
i. Chile pepper has come to mean pungent chile cultivars. However, chile means pepper (
Capsicum) whether the fruits are pungent or not. Generally, chili is used to identify the state dish of Texas, which is a combination of pungent chile cultivars and meat (Domenici 1983). Bell pepper generally refers to non-pungent blocky chile types. Additional confusion is present within species designation, because
C. annuum was sometimes called
C. frutescens in the scientific literature (Heiser and Smith 1953).
geeme said:
I believe some chiles likely originated in Africa. The problem with validating this is the same problem that exists for other things in Africa, such as art and architecture. Much early African art was created in wood or other organic materials. Unless a piece was buried (such as items placed with the deceased during funerals or as part of religious rituals), it likely disappeared due to environmental factors. Over and above weather and normal wear-and-tear, Africa has a substantial termite population; much art and architecture has disappeared because of termite damage. Another problem that existed (and still does in more remote areas) was the use of organic materials in building - houses and common buildings being built from mud, palm fronds, etc., that easily deteriorate over time. Additionally, many of the earliest languages have no evidence of being written. Because of all these factors, any statement about chiles originating (or not) in Africa would have to be guess-work, based on prevalence of more recent evidence (of some sort.) In other words, if we have evidence a particular chile is commonly used in cooking over a large area in Africa and no evidence of it existing in other areas (such as South America) before a certain time, that chile may well have originated in Africa. Unfortunately, we cannot say for sure either way.
The main reason it seems unlikely that Capsicum species originated in Africa is that while the original plants would be long gone, it`s extremely likely that their DNA would not. It would show up in other species, cultivars or whatever type of pepper you looked at. To my knowledge, and correct me if I`m wrong, the chiles grown in Africa are all of the following species; C.chinense, C.frutescens, C.annuum and C.baccatum. An original African pepper would have contributed its DNA at some point, possibly by being brought over in the slave trade to the West Indies (initially). Or by the Portugese on the trip back.
If you are suggesting that a Capsicum originated in Africa, then died out before it could be mixed with anything from South America, then anything is possible, but there is not a single shred of evidence to suggest that. Humans have recognized the usefulness of Capsicums for roughly 10,000 years and have not allowed it to die out because of that. I find it hard to imagine an African pepper would have been allowed to die out. I could easily be wrong, but until new evidence is found I don`t believe any Capsicum species originated in Africa.
